How Best to Clean Hardwood Floors

Lucky you, to have wonderful wooden floors. Full of character that compliments any décor style. Warm underfoot in winter and cool in summer. Low maintenance but not maintenance free. Imperial Cleaning share their Top 5 tips gleaned over the years.

Daily Sweeping

First line of defense against scratches is regular sweeping, to ensure grit is not worn into the floorboards. A mat at the front door is a good idea to catch the worst of the detritus.

Weekly Washing

Using a soft damp mop, ensure it is damp and not dripping and soap that is made specifically for hardwood floors, clean the floor. For areas that are hard to reach don’t try to use the mop as the head could scrape the wood, rather go old school on your hands and knees to clean those areas.

Annual Maintenance

Hire professional cleaners like Imperial Cleaners to undertake a steam clean to really remove any buildup gathered over the past year. A word of warning, water and steam can badly damage wooden floors, so this is a professional only job as they use specialist steam machines to undertake this job. The steam machine uses a dryer heat that normal steam machines do.

Cleaning Products

A number of cleaning products can leave a residue on hardwood floors that act as a magnet for dirt and or dulls the beautiful finish of your floors. Check that the product is for hardwood floors and is not soap based nor contains any vinegar, as both can dull the shine and leave residues on the surface.

Protective Coatings

After sanding your wooden floor, you will have a choice of gloss or matt finish. In order to maintain your choice of finish it would be advisable to get professionals in. Most finishes on the market for hardwood floors can peel over time leaving a discoloured surface. Professional wooden floor cleaners will apply a high quality coating to ensure your wooden floor is maintained and beautiful.

Mats

Old fashioned but they work. Putting mats down at the front door will be trap some of the dirt on feet coming into the house. Have more mats or carpets around the home will also reduce the wear and tear on your hardwood floor and maintain their finish from grit and dirt brought in on shoes.

As you can see hardwood floors are not totally maintenance free but they will last a life time if looked after properly.